


Drowning My Sorrows and Happiness with you

by Mangalover4321



Series: Wipe Away the Tears [1]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Backstory, Brother-Sister Relationships, Character Development, Complicated Relationships, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Demons, Developing Relationship, F/M, First Meetings, Golems, Mentioned Dante, Mentions of Sparda, Pre-DMC 3, Servants, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Trauma, Visions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2020-12-09 15:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20996888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mangalover4321/pseuds/Mangalover4321
Summary: When Elena first spotted him, she only saw him as someone to fool with but their relationship began to quicken without either of them noticing until the day of Vergil's' Departure'.





	1. Day 1 (Part I)

**Author's Note:**

> So this story is not a sequel to I Dreamt of an Angel, in the Form of the Devil but instead is prequel. This will go over their first meetings and more as the story progresses. This may eventually turn to Mature but I am leaving it as Teen for the moment. Anyways, please enjoy!

"While the Lilly white, shall in Love delight  
Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright."

-_The Lilly_, William Blake

* * *

“Well, this is boring.” 

Elena Adesso stared at the barely crowded street as she sat on the cobble stone pathway that had multiple stores open with greetings to customers while people slowly talked with one another. Her cloud gray eyes wandered around the scenery while a sketch book was hidden beneath her black cloak as she waited to see something that would peak her interest into sketching. She scoffed as more simple people passed by and she brushed back small strands of her onyx black hair, scowling at the small strands that were getting in their way. 

Then she closed her eyes, letting her ability, which was to see anything in the present time, take over her sight and she was seeing different parts of the island, still nothing catching her interest. 

Until the sight of a Demon caught her attention and she stared at it in confusion as it made no attempt to attack anyone or move. It was simply sitting down on the street, like herself, with its head down towards the ground. It was blue colored, unlike any blue she had seen before in her life, and horns curved back from its head. Its skin slightly glowed and at its neck was membrane that curved inwards and the spine merged with two dark-colored bones. A sword was held in its grasp, a katana to be more exact, as its handle had a gold wrapping with some black ornaments and the guard was an octagonal while the sheath of colored a vibrant dark blue.

_It was odd but also entrancing. _

She quickly observed its surroundings, noticing the small parlor and bookstore across the street, so she could find out where it was resting. Her eyes shot open and she looked to her right, knowing if she went down that way and turned down another corner, she would reach where the Demon was laying. She stood up and looked around quickly to see if anything has changed since she went to look. She pulled her hood up to cover her features better as she paced towards the direction were she had saw the Demon. 

_It was like one she had never seen before. _

Some people grunted in annoyance as she slipped past them but she returned a glare to them. She then took the next turn and looked at the street, scanning around her to see if the Demon she had saw was still here. 

She blinked as she stared at the Demon still at the spot, making no move at all, and its eyes were closed like it was perhaps sleeping. 

_Since when did Demons sleep in the middle of streets?_

She clutched her sketchbook in her hand before stuffing it in her bag and made the decision to go investigate it more. 

* * *

Vergil had landed on the island about a few hours ago and it was not as impressive as he had hoped to find. He knew that it was infamous for its religious worship of his father, the Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda, but otherwise it was stuck in what seemed to be like the 1800s. His searching for the infamous library or Archive landed him nowhere and no one on the island talked with him since he was a stranger and he did give off a certain aura.

He had closed his eyes for a few minutes to rest and the Yamato was gripped tight in his hands, not daring to leave it from his grasp. He wore a robe to cover himself from any suspicion and he knew no one would dare bother him since he was a stranger. 

_But fate had something else in its mind that day. _

His stomach growled and he scowled at this, trying to ignore the slow gnawing desire of food. He would get something once he could get some money to buy something simple enough. 

“Hey, are you hungry?”

He decided to ignore the female voice, thinking that they were talking someone else, and remained silent, breathing deeply as the scent of paint entered his nose, which was strange since he was not near and sort of studio or supply store. 

“Is it asleep?”

The same voice greeted his ears again and he remained still, wanting just the sound of people walking by to be the only thing he could hear but it seemed like luck was not on his side. His eyebrows twitched at the voice for a mere second before footsteps moved closer to himself, walking around him as if someone was observing him. At the thought of being watched, he opened one eye up and happened to look at the figure whom he assumed was talking. 

_A woman who looked captivating. _

He wiped his mind of that thought as a woman, most likely around his age stared down at him with cloudy gray eyes, full of intrigue. A cloak also drew around her and hung over her face but onyx black hair was shown from the sides of it which reached past the bottom of her chin, while her lips were parted open as if she were ready to say something else. 

“So, you are awake.” She spoke out loud and he scoffed at this, having been awakened by a woman who wanted to talk with him, “I heard your stomach growl. Are you hungry?”

He simply stared at the woman in utter irritation and she narrowed her eyes at this, clearly she was hoping for some other reaction that that. 

“Your stomach was growling earlier. Clearly you _want _food but do not have any way of it getting it.” She spoke up in regards to his stomach and he continued to glare at her before she sighed at this, looking away from a second, “You’re clearly a foreigner and I shouldn’t be talking with you but you are far to intriguing to deny myself the opportunity to talk with such an unusual figure. Plus, I would hate to inform the guards of a foreigner acting strange.” 

He narrowed his eyes at the threat and she raised an eyebrow at this, awaiting his response to her action. 

_Why was she so intrigued by him? No one on the wretched island had dared to be near him or looked into him. _

** _She was different from the others. _ **

He gripped his blade tight in his hands as he stood up and she blinked at his overpowering stature compared to her own. For a second, she looked like she might regret her words but then a second later she was offering him a soft smile. 

“Wonderful.” She said simply and he gazed over her yet again, noting her attire was darker than the other local citizens which was slightly strange considering it was so normalized there, “There’s a small cafe not to far from here where we can get some food.” 

She started walking in the direction of the cafe while he followed closely behind her, observing her from a distance. She paced herself in a mild manor, while she tried to look back and see if he was still following her. 

_The Demon was actually acting close enough to a human but it still had its moments from just her small interactions where it was more Demonic than human. _

** _Perhaps it was something else?_ **

She admittedly regretted it as he stared down at her, eyes boring into her with some emotion that she could recognize. Maybe it was interest or annoyance or something else completely different? She turned her attention back forward as she weaved through some people talking aside and she could see the cafe nearby. She grew relieved at the sight as she walked over to it and opened the door, staring at him for him to enter first yet he made no move to do so. He simply stared at her in distaste and she narrowed her eyes at this, glaring at him annoyance she continued to hold the door open and waited for him. 

“Well, are you going in?” She snarked at him and he too narrowed his eyes in annoyance at her tone before stepping in and released a breathe at his personality. She followed behind him, noticing the height difference between them. 

_He was even taller than her brother who was one of the tallest men on the island. _

“Good afternoon! Is it just yourself today, sir?” The host asked, not even bothering to care about what Vergil had looked like, Elena pushed her way forward and gave an innocent smile to the host. 

“Good evening. It's actually two, please.” She said in her most polite voice she could offer and the host blinked at her talking before looking to him to confirm that she was with him. He sighed and nodded that she was indeed with him before the host led them to a table, near the back but plenty of people were nearby to make escape troubling. Elena flashed the host a smile and utter a small thanks as she sat down, sitting across from him, as he too took a seat. She observed him with narrowed eyes and he let Yamato lean against the wall but close enough for him to grab if he needed to. 

“Order whatever you want. My treat.” She said as she picked up the menu and he continued to look at her with uncertainty behind her reasoning. Her eyes glazed over the menu but still watched him, making sure he didn’t plan on running away. He scowled as he looked down on the menu, noting that some the food did seem acceptable to eat. 

“So, you got a name mysterious stranger?” She asked as she flipped another page of the menu and he remained quiet, not wanting to give away anything about himself. She tapped the table with her fingernail as she just stared at him, waiting for an answer but he said nothing. 

“Good afternoon, folks. My name is Alfred and I will be server today. Now, what would you like to drink or perhaps you like to know the specials?” A server had appeared before she could get an answer from him and she looked up to the sever, who had a smile on his face and formal outfit that a traditional man from Fortuna wore, but with small changes that accommodated his work like a name tag and dark gray colors of the cafe. 

“I would like an unsweetened ice tea please.” She spoke and then locked eyes with him, knowing he would have to answer for himself or she would say something for him. He sighed at this and looked at her with annoyed expression but the smile on her lips, in the form of amusement, caused his annoyance to fadein some way. 

“I would like chamomile tea.” He spoke and her eyes grew wide at hearing his voice, expecting something else besides its raspy tone. The waiter nodded before going off to place their orders and she couldn’t help but stare at him even more, expecting the echoing tone of a Demon to come out of his mouth. 

“If you continue to stare, I will leave.” He said to her and she blinked before shaking her head. 

“No, I’ll stop.” She told him and she hardly believed it as she then leaned closer to him, eyes narrowed and a slightly clouded look seemed in them, “How old are you, by the way?” 

He remained stoic at her question before she crossed her arms over her chest, glancing away and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. She bit her lip as she was unsure if she should say something before closing her eyes for a second, looking around to see if _he _was anywhere nearby or anyone _he _knew was close. 

_He had no clue where she was at the moment. _

She released a breath that she held in and opened her eyes back up, noting that the Demon stared at her. An innocent smile appeared on her face as she leaned forward again and rested her arms on the table. 

“Perhaps I should have introduced myself first before I start questioning you.” She said and it seemed to help ease thoughts against her, “I am Elena Adesso, the Lady of the Adesso household. I am eighteen years old and an artist. It’s nice to meet you.” 

He stared at her briefly as he tried to understand why her last name seemed familiar but ignored it for the moment as she did inform him a little bit about herself. Surprisingly, she was also his age but looked younger due to the way she carried herself. 

“Why did you bother me?” He questioned her and she blinked at this before she glanced away, knowing that telling the truth and saying that she knew he was a Demon would be the wrong move. 

“You interested me.” She answered, which was true and he blinked at this, confusion wracking his thoughts as to why she would think so. 

_Perhaps because he was a foreigner or his hair would be an oblivious answer but he doubted it was that reasoning. _

** _He was positive she had another reason for her talking to him. _ **

“So, will you at least me tell me your name?” She said and interrupted his thoughts, making him look back at her before sighing. He crossed his arms over his chest and he made a quick sweep of the room around him, making sure there were Demons that would catch on. 

“My name is Vergil.” He told her and she practically glowed at learning his name, “We are the same age.” 

At the mention of his age, she narrowed eyes as she seemed to be struggling with understanding that she was the same age as him. She scratched her nose a little at this before glancing out of the window for a second and turned back to him. 

“Here are your drinks, sir and ma’am.” 

At the voice of the waiter, the two turned to him as he placed their drinks down and she replaced her stern expression to a soft one. 

“Thank you very much, sir. We’ll be a few more minutes until we know what we want.” She said and the waiter blinked at this before nodding in agreement, walking away from the two and left them alone again. She grabbed her drink, which was in a glass cup and a draw placed in it, and she twirled the straw around, thinking of her next question. 

“What is your reasoning for being here?” She decided to ask and his eyes narrowed at this while she innocently took a sip of her ice tea. 

“I am searching for something.” He responded and she removed the straw from her lips, placing the drink back down on the table. 

“Is it something specific?” She questioned and he then scowled at this, knowing that she wanted to know more, “I’m guessing it has to be related to Sparda.” 

From the way she talked about the legendary Savior to the island, she gave no regard towards him in the same limelight as the other citizens. 

_She clearly did view his father like everyone else. _

“…You are correct.” He answered and she nodded at this, a slight smile gracing her lips at her being correct. 

“Fortuna does contain Archives that other cities do not have, especially regarding Sparda.” She spoke and he felt a small sense of relief wash over him that the island was not a waste of time. She attempted to draw him in with her mention of Sparda and the Archives and he glanced down at his drink. 

“I am in luck then.” He stated and she chuckled at this, a smile perking at the corner of her mouth. 

“Indeed, but how to do you plan on going in since you aren’t a citizen?” She said and crossed her legs underneath her dress. He stared up at her in anger since he was not informed of these details, thus getting in an easy way was eliminated, and he scowled at the newfound knowledge. 

“And I have one final question for you,” She said and broke him out of his thoughts, “How does a Demon like yourself even manage to slip past _everyone_ without any of them looking back twice?” 


	2. Day 1 (Part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late update folks! I struggled with trying to write this chapter for so long for a couple of reasons until I got a lot of inspiration from listening to the soundtrack of Netflix's "The King" this week that helped out. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, thank you for all the kudos, and that Vergil is better represented in this one compared to the last chapter.

_And mutual fear brings peace;_  
_ Till the selfish loves increase._  
_ Then Cruelty knits a snare,_  
_ And spreads his baits with care._

-The Human Abstract, Stanza 2, William Blake

* * *

He simply stared at her with unmoving eyes at her comment, intrigued as to how she knew, but also annoyed at she spoke of it out loudly in such an open area. He grind his teeth silently at her topic before deciding to form a plan of action that would make him in the lead of her questioning. Her glaze continued to stare at him as she took a sip of her ice tea and her fingernails patted against the wood of the table, awaiting for him to answer her back. 

“You are far to persistent in trying to get answers from me.” He responded and she chuckled at this, now resting her face in her hands as she lended against the table.

“Perhaps, but what can I say? I’m a curious person.” She answered and he hummed at this, knowing she would make a move if he tried to leave or do something that she believed would harm herself or others. 

“And if I give you answers to your questions? What do you plan on doing with that info?” He inquired from her and she blinked at this, crossing her legs under the table. 

“I have no plan on selling you out to the Order, Vergil.” She spoke, more quiet and glanced around, as if she was concerned that others might make a scene, “I dislike them for many things so I’m not going to go talk with them.” 

“And I’m to believe you by your words?” He questioned and she frowned at this, sighing at his question but she really did not have anyway at the moment to keep his trust. 

“What if I brought to the Archives myself?” She suggested and he actually blinked at this, not even thinking that the girl could do that. 

“You can get into the Archives?” He said and she smirked at this, glad to have caught his attention with the fact she had permission into the building. 

“Indeed, I can because of my status. I will gladly let you come with me too.” She spoke and he simply observed her at this, unsure what to think of her suggestion. He remained still as he thought about how easy it would now become to access the Archives and not draw attention at night to himself entering the building repeatedly. He remained complexed at the situation and she glanced over to see that their waiter had returned, ready to take their order. 

“Are two perhaps ready to order?” The waiter asked and Elena smiled up at him, hands clasped together at his appearance. 

“I hope you do not mind waiting a few more minutes. We have been struggling to find something that suits both our appetites.” She said and the waiter frowned at this, not thrilled at her suggestion but gave her a polite smile and walked away again. Her attention turned back to him and then placed a finger on his menu, eyes narrowed in slight annoyance. 

“You need to pick something to eat or people will be suspicious. I can’t keep taking the lead because the men here do not easily listen to a woman’s suggestion. We can discuss more about this after eating.” She in a hissed whisper and his eyebrows narrowed at this, clearly unentertained at the situation he was getting roped into to just simply get knowledge about his father and the legendary Temen-ni-gru from the island’s Archives. He looked down to the menu, eyes glazing through it as he tried to find something that he would be alright with having, and she leaned crosser, short hair falling in front of her face as she looked at his menu too. 

“Like I mentioned earlier, have whatever you want. I will pay for everything.” She said as the waiter was again approaching them and she leaned back, a fake smile plastered over lips as she tried to her best to look delighted. 

“Perhaps, you are ready to order now?” The waiter asked the two and Vergil couldn’t help but give the waiter an annoyed stare at his tone towards them, which clearly startled the waiter as he seemed to back up a few steps. 

“Yes, we are.” Vergil hissed back at him and Elena’s fake smile turned into a legitimate one, amused at how interesting the Demon who shared so many characteristics with a Human acted out, “I will have the BLT with the side of cooked vegetables.” 

_The Demon did have an interesting taste in food too. _

“And you, miss?” The waiter asked with a small stutter in his voice and she closed the menu up. 

“I would like the tomato soup with a small side salad please.” She said as the waiter scribbled down their order and walked away to place it. Her attention returned to him and she released a small breath of relief that he had actually ordered something in time. 

“You aren’t like any Demon I have ever seen before.” She stated to both herself and him and he narrowed his eyes at this, still curious as how she knew of his status before even mentioning it or showing off any skills that would connect the dots. 

“Still curious about how I know, huh?” She observed and looked out the window, many people passing by without any say or notice to them. Her cloudy gray eyes narrowed and looked sad at something the people outside seemed to hold before she smiled at him, one that held coy in it. 

“The eyes are the window to the soul. And my eyes can see far past into the soul.” She stated and he paid more note to her eyes now, noting how her iris seemed to swirl around in a mixture of different colored tones of gray. 

_She could see past his Human form._

“Indeed, your eyes are far superior than to a normal Human’s.” He spoke and she nodded at this, amused at that he had found out and was seemingly giving her a compliment. 

“That is true. My sight is much improved to others.” She said and glared at the knights who from the Order who passed by, “Similar to how you are not like a normal Demon.” 

Before he could respond or think of something to their waiter returned with their food, carrying both plates with his hands, a smile on his face as he approached the table. He could finally feel the tension between the two again as he placed the food down. Vergil stared at him as the waiter tried his best to remain calm and he glared between the two. 

“I hope everything is to your liking. Please let me know if you need anything else.” The waiter said and Elena smiled at him, which the waiter knew she wanted something from him.

“We would like the check now.” She said and the waiter blinked at this, opening his mouth to comment at this, “We are in a rush and we would like to pay now if that is alright with you.” 

The waiter stared at her before he stumbled a little to get out their small sheet which listed their orders and total. 

“Thank you.” She said as he placed the bill down and walked away from them but still looked at them in both confusion and slight worry. Her attention turned to the food and placed her napkin down on her lap, picking up her spoon to start enjoying her tomato soup. 

“We can continue this conversation once we are done with our food if that is alright with you.”  She suggested and he looked at her, eyes narrowed and intrigue continued to be on his head but his grumbling stomach suggested he should focus on food on the meantime. 

He released an annoyed sigh before responding back to her, “Fine.” 

* * *

It did not take them very long to finish their food and once they did, she quietly and sneakily pulled out some money that was in her bag. She hide the money tight in her hands, hiding it from others before looking him straight in the eyes. 

“You need to pay for the meal. They will _not _let me if I go up to pay.” She said and casually slide her hand towards his, only centimeters away while he looked at it before sighing in annoyance. She remained still before he raised his open hand out and she quickly dropped the money in his palm, snatching the receipt also and stood up. She followed his actions while he grabbed his sword and made his way to the cashier at the front of the restaurant, a small like already ahead of them. She stood side by side to him and her own hood clung close tho her features, trying to hide herself from the public eye. 

“What exactly are you?” 

The question that had escaped her lips caused him to glare down at her yet, she could not tell from her vision being occupied by his form as a Demon. Before he could even say something, the cashier announced the change and held out the money to him. His glaze moved over to him and snatched it out of the cashier’s hand, clearly annoyed and wanting to leave admittedly. He shrugged right past her and she sighed at this, realizing her word choice definitely ticked him off. She followed behind him, ignoring the worry in her stomach, and he seemed to moving faster than what she could catch up with. 

“Slow down!” She hissed at him yet he ignored her, continuing to move forward while she was behind. She scowled at this and clutched her hands at her side at this, ready to remark back but a small chill ran up her spine when she bumped into someone. Her gaze looked up towards them and she paled slightly at the sight of a man’s whose eyes were dead and blackened. A twisted smile was placed upon his lips as he looked down at her and her vision snapped to the Demon’s true form hidden beneath the skin of the human it was possessing. 

Its skin was an ugly green that pulsated on the surface and bubbled with an oozing black blood. It held many eyes on its face, overcrowding the mouth, which held a shelf of razor sharp teeth, and it had thin bony arms yet a pair of long black pinchers were its fingers, which snapped at her. Its thin torso hugged what could be its ribs tight to its body and its legs were like spikes and made it stand far taller than what its possessed human form stood at. 

Dismay flashed across her features as it then spoke to her, “**Your eyes, we want your eyes.**” 

She then narrowed her eyes at its claim and she tried to run past it but it grabbed her, its grip tight on her wrist and pulled her back. She looked ahead in hopes that someone, anyone was willing to notice that something was wrong yet no one seemed to care. 

“You’re not going to have my eyes, asshole.” She snarked at it in an attempt to make herself more fearful yet it merely chuckled at this, its face closing in on her own. 

“**You are wrong, human wretch. Your eyes are to be ours.**” It spoke again and she scowled, trying and pulling herself away from it but its grip was like iron and melded onto her skin. 

“Let go of me!” She yelled and a few people did actually turn in her direction, before the Demon’s human body scowled at this. And within a few seconds, it shedded its Human skin and bore its true form to the public, which no one knew what to make of it besides screaming and running away from them. Panic began to erupt around them and she whipped her head around in every direction in hopes that someone from the Order was around to save her but it looked like they were not there at the moment. 

_Shit_, she thought and before she could respond to its movement, its pinchers grabbed the side of her head, forcing her to look up at it. Its many eyes looked at her in glee as it forced her to remain still as she tried to come up with some form of an idea to escape. 

“**Your eyes will be very useful to us, human**.” It said yet once it spoke, something flashed between herself and it, a swift movement that her eyes could not identify. But once the flash had disappeared in her line of vision, its pinchers fell off her face and blood arched upward, splashing her clothes and parts of her face. She blinked and quickly moved back, nearly tripping over her own feet once the Demon let out a horrific scream once it realized that its arms had been cut. 

“**WHO?! WHO DARE CUT ME?!**” It screeched out and she stared at the figure before her. He bore a brown cloak that covered his entire body yet strake marks of blue clothing, like its blue coat with three separated coattails while some serpentine patterns were marked on the coat, a dark blue vest and dark pants with brown knee high boots, was seen out from the cloak. A sword was grasped in its hand and small marks of blood dripped down from the blade, staining the ground with black blood. A smirk was placed across the man’s face, sharp cheekbones struck out with fair yet pale skin and dark blue eyes glistened from under the hood of his cloak but the most staring thing about the man was his ghost white hair swiped back away from his face, 

“Fool.” The man spoke and she blinked at realizing that the man before her was the Demon that she had spoken to, named Vergil, “You will perish.” 

Elena’s realization caused annoyance to boil over and she was ready to snark at him but he took on a battle stance, balance his weapon in his hands as he easily sliced through the Demon and instantly cut through it like it was paper. It screamed in agony and in mere seconds, its once opposing form was reduced to a bloody mess. 

“What the hell?” She said in a mutter and its body then began to turn to dust whisking away and disappearing from their sight. The man then carefully put the blade back in its sheath before turning to her. 

“That was for lunch.” He said and she stared at him before scowling, eyebrows pinched together that he claimed he only saved her because it was a _debt_ that he felt like he owed her. 

_But even a Demon would not risk itself or claim to pay her back by saving her. _

_Perhaps he was not a full Demon but a Hybrid. _

“You’re a Hybrid.” She announced out loud at her findings and his gaze narrowed at this, looking at her as if he was ready to now strike at her, “That makes far more sense than now.” 

“That is untrue.” He lied to her as he did not need her to be digging more into his past or history. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at this, seemingly challenging him at this accusation. 

“I highly doubt that. Any true Pure-Blooded Demon would not have done what you just did. It would have regarded the mere act of saving me as idiotic and foolish. Even if you were trying to act like a Human, you would regarded the meal as a small debt to repay not the full blown account of saving me, especially since we barely know each other. Plus with your previous actions, you are clearly not a full on Human either.” She said and then noticed that more people were moving back towards the scene, trying to figure out what happened, “We need to leave now also. The Order will appear soon to investigate what happened her and gather statements. And I am sure that you do not want to run into them.” 

He glared at her as he did not that some people were beginning to reappear at the scene before he stomped in the direction of an alleyway while she followed him. 

_She was far smarter than what he originally accounted for. _

She continued to observe him in his Human form, fasciated with his striking features, mostly his hair, as they moved further into the alleyway, getting away from the scene. Water dripped from the rooftop of buildings and echoed as it hit the ground, their feet splashing against the puddles. She remained silent as her interest continued grow at what she had discovered about him and that once seeing his Human form, she wanted to capture it as a remarkable piece in her sketchbook. 

Suddenly he stopped and turned to face her, eyes narrowed as he stared down at her his eyebrows were pinched together. 

“How can I trust you?” He questioned her and she looked at him like he had five heads, before sighing. 

“Well, clearly you can easily kill me. I have no chance of standing against you. The only thing I can really provide for you like earlier is being able to access the Archives with no issue.” She said and he looked her strangely at the comment, slight surprisement at her statement. 

“You have no issue with me killing you?” He asked her and she frowned at this, looking down towards the ground. 

“…It’s not like that was first time being held hostage to a Demon and thinking that I would die.” She replied in a slight mumble but he continued to stare at her as his own interest in her started to form more. 

_She clearly had little regard to her own life and she was alright with him killing her if she did something untrustworthy. _

He glanced away as his own thoughts continued to strike among his head and Elena continued to observe him, her thought racing as her desire to sketch him were overtaking her own mind. 

_He would be a brilliant subject to capture in any form. _

“…Guide me to the Archives.” He said and she blinked, her thoughts going away as he spoke up. She crossed her arms against her chest before sighing and turned to regain her footing as to where exactly they were in comparison to the locations of the Archives. She closed her eyes for a second, gathering where the best route would be to get there. 

Then suddenly she noticed a familiar figure heading in their direction and a pit dropped in her stomach. Her eyes snapped open and she gripped her bag tight to the side of her body, a small amount of terror lodging its way into her system. 

“I need to go.” She said and he raised an eyebrow at this, while anger made its way into his system.

“What?” He hissed and she looked behind her, her breath hitched in her throat as she knew _he _was making _his_ way to find her. She sighed before pulling out her sketchbook along with a pencil and flipped through a couple of pages before landing on an empty page. She started to scribble down her name and an address on it before ripping it out. She approached him closely and her hood highlighted her cloudy gray eyes as she gazed up at him. 

“Listen, I have to go but meet me at this address tomorrow morning and then I will bring you to Archives. I’m sorry that I have to leave but I need to go.” She said and grabbed his hand, his cold fingers touching the base of her skin as she placed the note in his hand. Her expression was sad and also slightly terrified, yet not at him, but at the notice that she needed to go. She pulled her hood down and her black hair was noticeably stained with the Demon blood as it glistened in the dark shadows. 

“I’m sorry, Vergil.” She whispered as she started dashing out of the alleyway, getting as much distance between herself and him in order for _him _to not know about what exactly happened. 

He stared at her fading figure before he glanced down at the note, seeing what she wrote to him with even more interest gaining at the information she provided him. 


	3. Day 1 (Part III)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you for the kudos and such, I really appreciate it! In this chapter, it goes more in depth to who Elena surrounds herself with and what her home life is. This chapter does introduce some new characters to the story that will reappear in the future also! Anyways, enjoy!

_O He gives to us His joy,_

_That our grief He may destroy:_

_Till our grief is fled and gone_

_He doth sit by us and moan._

\- _On Another’s Sorrow_, Stanza 17, William Blake

* * *

“Where were you?” 

The question caused her to tense up as _he _continued to glare down at her with dark gray disapproved eyes, clearly not happy with her disappearance. Her gaze was locked down at the ground and she clutched her bag tightly tp her own side, trying to ignore the pressure _he _was placing upon her. She bit her lip as she tried to come up with a reasonable explanation behind her misplacement yet nothing seemed to be coming to her mind. 

“Elena,” _He _said her name and her gaze snapped back up to _him_. _He _stood taller than most of the men in Fortuna specially when _he _did not slouch, _his_ black hair was thick and slightly curly but cut as a quiff and his beard was groomed well and did not stand out too far from his face but did give depth to his features. His nose, much like her own, was aquiline and stood out to others. He wore a long black coat with small buttons stitched onto it with black pants, slightly dirty from probably going to find her, and high brown boots that rose just below his knees. 

“Yes, brother?” She asked him and he continued to look down at her, eyes trying to focus on her yet they seemed to flickering around. 

“…We will discuss more of this once we arrive back.” He answered and turned in the direction of their home. She followed him as they headed back yet she could not help but turn back to the alleyway and hoped she would not spot Vergil observing the interaction she had between her brother. She released a small breath of relief that he wasn’t there and she quickened her pace to match closer to her brother’s as he seemed to walking briskly past others, his expression full of annoyance. 

_She clearly did something that made him annoyed at her._

** _Perhaps it was a vision that left him in such a state?_ **

He stopped for a second and she froze place before he turned to her. He reached over and grabbed her, which his grip was cold and tight on her wrist. He looked around like paranoia was forcing its way into her or his mind seemed to be playing tricks with him. 

“Stay close to me, Elena. I do not want to lose you.” He spoke and she nodded at this, reframing from talking to him. 

“Of course.” She stated and he dragged her along, set in motion to their home until unknown to the both of them, Vergil cautiously observed the two as they made off on the top of a house roof. 

* * *

She trended behind him with her face hung low, slightly ashamed that he had caught her but she also thought how exactly she was going to be able to avoid him so she could slip out to talk with Vergil the following day. 

_She had never meet someone like him before. _

She released a breath and glanced back up to see her brother not looking at her and only paying attention in front of him. She decided to initiate a conversation with him to try and calm down his nerves and picked up her pace, walking side by side to him. She gave him a small smile and gripped her fists tight. 

“I managed to get many sketches done today.” She said softly and his stern expression eased up but he still had his eyes narrowed in disapproval, “I plan on making a couple of them into paintings and perhaps maybe one charcoal piece. I believe that I can complete them soon enough to help decorate the manor although I’ll need to go to the store soon to get the supplies though.” 

His eyes narrowed at his and he snapped his head to her before grabbing her arm, pulling her close to him. 

“You are not leaving the manor alone, Elena.” He hissed and she frowned at his transgression, “You broke my trust again and because of that, you’ll need someone to go with you.” 

Her eyes narrowed at this and she ripped her arm from his grip, annoyed at how aggressive he was being about the issue when in the past he had been fine with her going on her on to find some form of subject matter to capture for her work. She bit her lip slightly before moving away from him to give herself more thoughts on how to approach him better. 

“…I understand.” She mumbled and his eyes dropped down to the road, rubbed his face and sighed. 

“…Listen, Elena,” He began again and his eyebrows twitched, “I’m only trying to keep you safe. This accident that happened today only made me more nervous than I was before.” He told her and she scoffed at this, clearly not buying it. 

“Then why didn’t you have someone else with me today?” She hissed and he stared at her for a second before his eyes began to look cloudy. She frowned in worry at this before grabbing his arm and looped it with her own, sighing as she kept pace with him. 

“I can lead us back.” She mumbled and he looked over to her, eyes swirling around and not focusing on her. 

“Thank you.” He told her and she gave a small nod at this, understanding that he could not control the visions he received. His visions, unlike many of her own, appeared at random and left him weakened. He closed his eyes and let her lead the way, knowing that even though they had their issues and complications he could trust her to bring him home since he would do the same for her. She pulled him away, guiding him with her and she noticed the few odd glances at them but ignored them the best she could. She struggled a little to keep moving but no one offered to help her. 

“I understand that you were concerned,” She mumbled and continued to pull him along, knowing he wasn’t exactly listening, “But I’ve been without any protection in the past and got along just fine and safe. Something you must have saw pushed you into this state of mind.” 

She thought about her own statement just now before sighing as she continued to drag him along, noting how still his whole body acted like he was just a doll being dragged around. 

_Something definitely put him on edge and that threw everything into chaos._

She noticed the familiar town center and knew was drawing near their manor soon enough but before he made it further, someone approached her. She blinked at the familiar face of one of the many servants in the household. The man stood just a little taller than her with short black hair cut just above his neck with a _kippah_ on his head and dark eyes stared down at her, a simple small on his very angular face. He wore a _kittel_ and dark pants underneath it while a _tallit _hung loose on his shoulders and drew down to his knees. He carried a small basket full of items like food and tools for the manor. 

“Good evening, Mistress Elena. May I help you with carrying Lord Nero?” He questioned and she released a sigh from this. She nodded at the offer of his help and he approached the other side of her brother, easily able to carry his weight than her.

“Thank you, Immanuel.” She said and he nodded at this, eyes blank at her statement. Her brother looked limp in the other man’s arms and she bit her lip, trying to figure out a way to escape tomorrow to visit Vergil. 

“Mistress, are you concerned?” The voice of the servant Immanuel brought her back to the present and she gave him a fake smile, which he did not know it was. 

“Of course since he is my precious older brother.” She said and the man hummed at this, walking in the direction of the manor. 

“Is there something else on your mind, Mistress?” The servant asked and she blinked at this, shocked that he had even noticed her own thoughts drifting in many directions. 

“Of course,” She responded and folds her hands behind her, walking with much confidence in the air, “When do I not have a second thought crossing in my mind? I’m thinking of the next piece to complete since I have many subjects in my mind to choose from.” 

“…Interesting. Would you mind sharing some of your thoughts on your next piece?” The servant requested and she sighed at this. 

“Well, I do not want my creative process to be ruined by informing you of my possible subjects matters and making an influence on me about what to do.” She told him and he simply nodded at this, accepting it as is. 

“That is fine, Mistress. I was simply curious.” He said and she brushed some of her hair back from her face. They continued past many people who simply stared at them but they made no mind at them and walked into the town’s center, seeing the marvelous mansion before them. Its style of Romanesque was far older looking than the Renaissance styled architecture of the rest of town, where its Roman rounded arches were balancing the side of the manor. Its doors which was different from the rest of the manor’s architecture were large and wide, engraved into the wood were figures and scenes from the Bible such as David and Goliath, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Moses and the Burning Bush. The wood roof was barrel vaulted and the walls were thick, prohibiting others from even getting a glimpse of the inside of the manor. 

“I shall get the door.” The servant spoke and she walked up to the door before he could move, knocking on it. The door open and they came face to face with another servant. This one had long brown hair that reached down to the back of their neck and dark brown eyes stared at them. They bore a black suit that clung to their skin while a smile was displayed on their thin lips. 

“Ah, hello, Mistress Elena and Immanuel.” The servant said and Elena gave a slight nod of approval at them. 

“Hello, Leor. Thank you for answering the door. Could you help Immanuel bring Nero to his room?” Elena said as she passed by them and the servant, Leor, nodded at this, brandishing more of a smile as walked over to Immanuel and helped even out of the weight of her brother on their shoulders. 

“Of course, Mistress.” They said and brought him inside the manor while she closed the door behind them. Her eyes did not want to stare into the large family portrait that was part of the entrance way, where a family of three stared down at her in disgust. She scowled and began to storm away until she heard a groan from behind her. She turned to face the two servants and saw as her brother’s clouded eyes began to peal away and his body regained from being so slack. 

“Hello Master Nero.” The two servants spoke to the now responding man who looked between the two, heavy bags appearing under his eyes. 

“Thank you, Immanuel and Leor. You are both excused. I need to talk with Elena alone.” He said exhausted and she frowned at this, knowing his vision must have also prompted him to continue their conservation now. She crossed her arms over her chest and the two servants walked away without any other discussions. 

“Must we talk now?” She questioned him and he glared at her for suggesting to change the time they would talk. 

“Yes.” He hissed and she slightly flinched at his harsh tone towards her, “We _need _to right now.”

She stayed still before dropping her arms to her side, knowing she would not win against him, and he approached her. His eyes were full of emotion and she could not tell what they meant since he rubbed his own face at this, seemingly trying to keep himself together. 

“Please, Elena.” He begged her and she simply stared at him, “It concerns your life.” 

Her own eyes grew wide at the statement, shock coursing through her system at his statement, before multiple thoughts swirled around in her head. 

_Her own life?_

_What was so concerting that involved her own life?_

“Fine, but may we talk about it elsewhere?” She suggested and he nodded, gesturing to the dinning room which she followed him. She glad that they were no longer near the infuriating family portrait but still she was concerned at what he had saw that issued this display of worry and anger. 

“…You had no plans belong near the attack are correct?” Her brother asked as she was walked into the room, knowing she would be questioned about that. 

“Of course not. I was unfortunately near a Demon when it sensed my ability and it wanted to find the source of it to feast on.” She replied casually and her brother looked at her with disbelief, sensing her partial truth but he remained calm, “I was lucky enough that someone stopped the Demon before it got to me.” 

_That phrase unfortunately was not the words he wanted to hear. _

“Who stopped the Demon?” He snarled at her and she looked at him with wide eyes, realizing her mistake, “Elena, tell me who killed the Demon!”

His tone changed to anger once she mentioned being saved and she backed away from him, clenching her fist as he approached her. 

“Nero,” She tried to calm hime down but he stalked closer to her, “Please, calm down.” 

“Tell me now, Elena.” He hissed and she felt her heart beat faster in nervousness, “Do not lie to me!” 

“It was a strange man with white hair.” She told him, trying to make him ease away, but his eyes grew immensely large and terror seemed to form their way into them. 

“Do not see that man again, Elena.” He spoke in a much softer tone and she stared at him in confusion at the change of tone he now had. She frowned at this and she simply sighed, brushing back some of her hair away form her face. 

“Why?” She questioned him and he looked away, horror glistening in his stormy gray eyes. He remained still before he stared at her in what looked like sorrow and terror, then stated, “I fear what he will do to you in the future.”

She sighed at this, now understanding that her brother saw Vergil with her in the future, most likely knowing that he was partial Demon. 

“I can take care of myself, Nero. I will stay away from him if that makes you happy.” She lied and his eyes simply looked into her own, clearly troubled with her response, thinking that she was lying to him. 

“…I know you do not like to think of my ability as helpful, Elena, but at least take this as a warning.” He said and confidence returned, “I will do anything to make sure that you are safe.” 

She did smile at the last comment, knowing he would keep his word on that.

“Alright, brother. I will try to distance myself from him if I can.” She spoke and he nodded at this, his gaze looking towards the table in the center of the room. 

“Good. You are dismissed now. Do what you please.” He excused her and she nodded at this, turning away and walked towards her studio. She sighed and felt her pulse quiet down but confusion wove its way into her mind as to why he was now so concerned about someone she just briefly met. 

_Perhaps Vergil would eventually kill her._

She shook her head at this but the thought lingered in her head at this, knowing that was the most likely option that would happen.

_She just prayed that Nero would not pull something foolish to stop events that were destined to happen. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kippah - a brimless cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfill the customary requirement that the head be covered. It is worn by men in Orthodox communities at all times.
> 
> Kittel - a white linen or cotton robe worn by religious Jews on holidays, in the synagogue or at home when leading the Passover seder. Kittels are sometimes worn by grooms. It is also customary for Jews to be buried in one.
> 
> Tallit - a fringed garment, traditionally worn as a prayer shawl by religious Jews. The tallit has special twined and knotted fringes known as tzitzit attached to its four corners. The cloth part is known as the "beged" (lit. garment) and is usually made from wool or cotton, although silk is sometimes used for a tallit gadol.
> 
> The relationship between Elena and Nero is VERY complicated much of it will be explained in the future so please bare with me a little bit.


	4. Day 2 (Part I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys are all of the support for this story! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, which goes more into the relationship forming between Elena and Vergil!

From the depths of dark solitude. From

The eternal abode in my holiness,

Hidden set apart in my stern counsels

Reserv'd for the days of futurity,

I have sought for a joy without pain,

-Stanza 4, Chapter 2, _The Book of Urizen_, William Blake

* * *

She had formulated a plan to go meet Vergil without any problems arising. She swung her legs over her bed and blinked a few times to clear her eyes as they tried to adjust to the dim hour so choose to wake up from. She stretched her arms up and glanced over to one piece she had been working on, which laid in the corner of her room awaiting from her to pick up and work on it again. She stared at the partially empty canvas where a garden was beginning to form in a bloom of roses but many of them were dead. She stood up and walked over to it, grabbing it up and tried to envision what colors were left to be put on the canvas.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her thoughts so she was ready to get on with her day. She walked over to her closet and stared at the many varieties of clothing she could choose from before deciding on a gray skirt with a simple white blouse and a hat to cover help cover her face if need be. She stared at the outfit before undoing the buttons of her nightgown to put on the new outfit for the day, hardly caring that it might attract attention from the Guards by not wearing a more standard outfit. The nightgown fell and she shrugged on a camisole then pulled on the blouse, carefully buttoning it up and changed her underwear quickly. She grabbed the skirt and pulled it up then tying it tightly against her waist, which showcased how small she was compared to other women.

_She did not want to be seen as an object to be taken advantage of._

She released a harsh breath at the thought that had rushed through her head and hushed out a silent swear. She took a glance at herself in the mirror that hung on the way and she stared at her petite figure baring the exact way she wanted to be perceived. She nodded at this and snatched the hat off of her bed, making her way to the door and opening it to be face to face with Leor who blinked at the sight of her.

“Good morning, Mistress.” The servant said and Elena offered a soft smile at their appearance.

“Good morning, Leor. I guess Nero requested for me to be up.” She spoke and the servant nodded at this while Elena stepped out of her room, gently closing the door behind her.

“Indeed, Master Nero had requested that one of the servants shall go with you on your shopping trip.” Leor announced and her eyes turned dark at the mention but sighed in response as she straightened herself.

“Alright. I am prepared to head out now if someone is ready to come with me.” She stated as she began to walk towards the grand staircase that was laced with red velvet on the steps. Leor followed her and they had folded their arms behind them, eyes seemingly focused elsewhere but they were able to stay on track. Then they blinked and offered a smile to Elena once they made it to the bottom of the staircase.

“Rotem shall come with you, Mistress.” Leor concluded and Elena was relived that Rotem would be the one to go with her as she has been able to disappear and hide from him easier.

“Wonderful, I will grab my bag and I will be ready to go.” Elena said as she moved towards the entrance, grabbing her bag from the coat hanger that stood before the entrance.

“I will let Rotem know that you are ready to leave, Mistress. Give Rotem a minute and they shall be ready to join you. Please be careful when you leave and I shall see you when you return.” Leor spoke and Elena nodded at this, gripping the bag tight in her hands as the servant walked away to go somewhere else within the manor. Elena closed her eyes for a second. Hoping she could pinpoint Vergil, but her vision decided to look somewhere else completely, she was confused to see just the bare ocean with waves crashing against each other. She frowned at this as she opened her eyes again, hoping to return at her current state but her vision remained at the ocean.

_Shit_, she thought and decided to make the best of it by just following the direction of the waves, a bright blue sky with few clouds were in the air. She could only see the ocean and nothing jumped out at her or anything yet her ability seemed to be focusing on the water. The waves remained calm by something off far in the distance that had cloudy and dark skies that looked ominous. Before she tries to look further into what was beginning to appear in the distance, her vision whipped back to her current state and she released a harsh breath that was caught in her lungs. She blinked wildly as she saw the now concerned gray eyes of Rotem, whose veil covered their lower face. The servant bore a simple black robe with a rope knot tied around their waist and a loose right shelve, showcasing the missing limb to the world.

“I am alright, Rotem.” Elena told the silent servant who merely nodded in the agreement since it was known in the household that Rotem has lost their ability to speak long ago. The servant tilted their head to the side with small pieces of their black hair spilling past their forehead and Elena moved to the door, knowing that she was wasting her time simply waiting for a response.

“We shall head out,” Elena stated the silent servant who gave a quick nod of their forehead before following behind her, making barely any sound in their steps. She bit the inside of her mouth as she began to think of she could avoid the silent servant but it was something to concern herself with once she got close enough to the location she told Vergil to meet her at.

* * *

Vergil leaned against the wall of the stone building that Elena told him to meet her in the morning. His fingers tapped aghast his arm as the sun made its way up and over the horizon, which would officially conclude that Elena was running late or she broke her promise. He scowled at this and debated about moving on to the Archives himself and find the information he was looking into.

“You did come!”

The voice of Elena caused him to snap his head in her direction and noted her different appearance from the day before, where today she looked more informal and at ease in the clothes she bore. She smirked at him like she knew that she had gotten there right on time before he was going to leave.

“Good morning, Vergil.” She said as she leaned against the wall next to him, which caused her hat to bend at the action. He continued to stare at her before he huffed and moved off the wall, looking to her with readiness to approach the Archives.

“Before we go in, I need to change my clothes as do you. We need the guards to believe that you are one of my servants escorting me to fetch books.” She explained and Vergil’s eyes narrowed at this, displeased that he would have to do this but overall was not surprised at the suggestion.

“Fine.” He simply stated and she nodded at this as she then approached the building’s entrance and he followed behind her. He observed her every move as she stepped towards a staircase that was empty besides the few doors that lined the walls and connected to the path. She stopped at a door that was labeled 404 and stared at it for a second before pulling something from her bag, he watched as a small key emerged in her grip and she placed into the keyhole. Turning it, erupted a small click to announce that the door was unlocked and she turned the handle and opened it up.

Before them was a small room filled to the brim with art supplies and canvas that lined the wall. She stepped inside and he followed in suit, taking in all the objects within the room that did extend to a small bathroom. Against one of the walls happened to be a desk that had some books stacked upon it while pieces of paper and pens were scattered around it.

“Welcome to my studio.” She spoke and he couldn’t help but notice that the top book on the desk happened to be The Book of Urizen by William Blake.

“Please ignore the clutter for the moment since it won’t take long for us to get going once we change.” Elena announced and she glanced at Vergil, noting that he stared at the book with both sorrow and interest, “You can borrow the book.”

He merely blinked at her offer and his gaze traveled back to her, eyes narrowed in the unease that she had caught him staring.

“I, unfortunately, have other books I need to read but you are free to take it.” She told him and his fingers at the notion as he remembered from reading the book back in his childhood home.

_His mother smiled down at him when she noted the thick book in his small hands, Her lips pierced together and her long, flaxen hair fell past her shoulders which she brushed back with her thins hair, Her soft dark eyes twinkled at the sight of him reading and knelt down to him._

_“Are you enjoying the book, Vergil?” She asked him and he nodded, opening his mouth to respond to her._

Then he was back to the present and Elena had ignored his spacing out to gather the clothes needed for their adventure.

“I will be really quick to change. Feel free to look at the book, Vergil. You are clearly interested in it and I do not mind you reading it.” She said as she looked over her shoulder, a small smirk on her lips once she knew that he did focus on the book. She stepped into the small bathroom and closed the door behind her, not knowing once she was gone from his sight, he grabbed the book and began to flip through to chapter two. Near the beginning of the chapter was the illustration of Urizen, bore with a long gray beard and some sagged skin was pinned under a rock. Vergil stared at the illustration before directing his gaze to the stanzas and he began to read the story, his gaze softened at pleasant memories of receiving the book.

“Blake created some beautiful illuminated prints.”

The more comment caused his head to whip in the direction of Elena who now wore a similar outfit to the one she had on yesterday but this dress was colored red with a white cloak drenched around and seemed to swallow her whole. She had in her hand a Sinclair Edwardian Club Collar white shirt with a red satin puff tie laying onto of it. She gently took the book from his hands and looked at the placement he was in before putting down its original spot.

His eyes narrowed at the sight of red and the corners of his lips turned to a displeased smile. Her expression narrowed and sighed at the notion of how strongly Vergil reacted to the outfit.

“The Guards will not allow you in unless you have the proper clothing on. Your pants and shoes are fine but your coat and vest will attract unwanted attention and possibly refusing to be let in. The Guards aren’t stupid and if they see something suspicious they might report it to their higher-ups.” She informed him and snatched the shirt and tie out of her hands without any vocal disagreement as he entered the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

She crossed her arms over her chest at his reaction and rubbed the bridge between her brows, hoping that her plan would be good enough to fool the Guards.

_She did think of the plan enough but she was worried that she barely knew the half-Demon._

“Is this acceptable?” His ruff voice caused her to see that he had changed clothes quickly and she frowned at the tightness of the shirt from the muscles that stretched across his body but he did apply the tie on correctly.

“Yes.” She said and pulled her hood from her cloak up, “Please put on your hood too. Unfortunately, your hair will draw questions but we can say that you have albinism.”

Vergil remained stoic at this and she crossed her arms over her chest, gray eyes growing annoyed.

“You know, you owe me for doing this for you.” She stated and as he had gracefully placed this original cloak over his body and he paused at this statement.

“I owe you nothing.” He said and she laughed at this, which was not the reaction that Vergil had expected as her laughter was quite soft.

“I can counter you on that, Vergil.” She said as she then leaned against the desk, glancing over at the many paintings that lined the wall and began her argument, “I have given you food, an opportunity to get you into the Archives, and a solid disguise to get by the guards. Once this has been done, you will owe me for granting you access into a place that you, an Outsider and partial Demon should not be allowed to. You may not find everything today also so if I grant you access until you are pleased then your debit with me will pile high up. So, please do tell me that you do not owe me.”

She uncrossed her arms as she now looked towards him and he looked utterly confused at how certain and with all the evidence that she had against him was clearly something he had to pay her back with. He tried in his head to counter her argument before deciding to inquire more about how he could her pay her back.

“I saved your life.”

She laughed again at the stamens like it was hysterical and she stalked towards him, mere inches away from the power-hungry man.

“You choose to do that. You could have left me for dead.” She said then her anger dulled down before rubbing her eyes as a small headache began to form in the back of her skull, “Though saving my life is a great deal, it doesn’t cover everything I have to offer you.”

“You value these future endeavors as something greater than your own life?” He asked solemnly and she nodded at this while he now sighed, brushing back some of his hair, annoyance driving through him like a sword.

“It wouldn’t be anything big.” She explained as she directed his attention to the empty canvases and she picked one up that did have some sketching onto it, a silhouette of a man posed, “I only want to be able to use you as a reference for some of my pieces.”

_It did sound something easy if anything._

Vergil stayed silent before looking around at the studio, noting what he assumed were completed paintings as some were stylized in a realistic way in the form of dramatic motion and heavy contrast in both Baroque and Rocco style while others did have a Post-Impressionistic style from the soft fluid motion of a brushstroke and change of subject matter being distinctive without a human subject matter.

_Her work was impressive. Perhaps he could do this so he could find the books he had been looking for for so long._

He sighed at this and she waited for him to say something before he glanced up at her.

“If it is something simple and not take much of my time than I will agree to your conditions."He said as annoyance was hinted on his tongue but she glowed at this, clearly happy with his decision.

“It is not anything that will take much of your time.” She seemed to promise him and he still looked unsure but decided for an irrational moment to nod in agreement. She gleamed at this before pulling the hood of his own cloak up and headed to the door, waiting for her. She walked to him and before opening the door, she placed her arm in front of it, blocking him and with barely touched each other.

“You will pose as one of my servants at my household, whose name is Rotem. The Guards have never met them so you will be fine to use their name.” Elena explained and Vergil continued to stare at her.

“Will this servant question if they have been seen near the Archives?” Vergil asked her and she glowered at him while rolling her eyes at this.

“No, they normally do not leave the manor nor they will know. I have handled that.” She staled with annoyance before she opened the door up, “If you have any more questions, ask them while we are on way. I don’t have time to debate with you since I need to get back before the day’s end.”

“Fine.” He answered and scowled as she stepped foot to outside the door and followed behind her, closing the door and making no other comment as they headed down the staircase. Their footsteps echoed around them and once they left the building, Elena turned to the left and he now walked closely side by side to her. Her gaze was driven downward as if she was trying to avoid detection and since it was the morning time, not many people looked at them in question.

* * *

“…How far is the Archives from here?” He asked in curiosity and she sighed as they passed by a few empty stores which were beginning to open up for the day. Her gaze looked up to him and he couldn’t help but stare at her eyes that looked at him with amusement.

_It reminded him much of his mother’s cheerful gaze when she looked at him and asked him what he was reading, especially when it was something he was enthralled about._

He bit the inside of his mouth at the mere thought of his mother and she answered back, “It is not that long. It’s about a five to ten-minute walk from where we currently are. Also, be prepared to comply with any questions the Guards may have about you. I will simply agree to any story you portray and go with it.”

“Are you not concerned that you will be caught?” He questioned and she laughed at this, something soft like the wind in the air.

“No. I know something if things go south so I am not worried about it.” She said and he opened his mouth to say something else but more people began to form into the streets, “I have a few plans in mind if something happens.”

She looked back down to his sword in his hand before she whispered, “Could you perhaps tie your sword to your back or side to draw less attention?”

Vergil could only stare at her wildly before deciding to tie his beloved weapon to his waist by its dark blue strap. She looked relieved at this and she turned left down an alleyway, which had they passed by a few sketchy looking characters but she remained focused.

_She was focused on the task on hand._

Some catcalled her and she only glared at them in response, anger tinted in her eyes at the comments but did speak out against them directly. Vergil made no move to defend her as he saw no reason to since even saving her life did not equivalate to letting him into the Archives so why should he interfere with something that did not concern him. She directed her attention to the opening to another street way and she struck her head out from the alleyway, seeing that no one of importance noticed them. She motioned him to follow her as he did and she walked into the street before stopping on the side of the road, a smirk gracing her features.

“Now, this will be the interesting part.” She said as then looked back to Vergil, “Welcome to the entrance of the Archives, Vergil.”


	5. Day 2 (Part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, sorry for the wicked late update! I was focused on writing a different story for a little bit so this one got away from me but now I have come back with a new chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it! Stay safe too and I hope everyone is doing alright right now.

"Earth raised up her head  
From the darkness dread & drear,  
Her light fled,  
Stony, dread,  
And her locks covered with grey despair."

-_Earth's Answer_, Stanza 1, William Blake

* * *

What Vergil expected of the Archives was pretty much what he was confronted with: a Renaissance architectural style that showcased plentiful columns which has elaborated decorative pilasters, the arches dipped and curved perfectly to be semi-circular that were pushed further out from the marble of the rest of the building. Sat on the top of it was a dome, colored a rusty red and each of its tiles seemed to be a different hue of the other but one of the most appealing parts of the structure of the semi-circular arched windows, which each one has stained glass that depicted the legendary Sparda within the pieces. There was no more door in front go them as the column directed them towards staircases that led to the entrance of the legendary Archives.

“Well,” Elena spoke as she noticed that he seemed to be finished with taking in the sight go the Archives, “Let’s go in then.”

He nodded in agreement with her statement as she made her way to the staircase, descending downwards to the only entrance that he had found at the moment. Guards were posted on each side of the large doorway that portrayed elaborate designs on the side. Elena offered a smile to the two main guards that blocked the door with their large sabers. The guards bore different outfits compared to the regular Order’s which happened to be a long black coat with dark pants and high boots. Gold was integrated into the outfit but one of the most striking things about these Guards was the charcoal black masks that hid their features besides their eye color.

“Good morning, soldiers.” Elena said once she reached the bottom of the staircase and curtsied to them, her head bowed down from them and did not look them in the eye. Vergil remained still before he noted Elena’s stern expression that he could see from her bowed head, which meant that he was to follow as he bowed down. Every ounce of his being despised the act of bowing to another, especially since they were in no way his equal.

_And that futile position was being held by his little brother. _

“Good morning, Miss Adesso. What matters bring you to the Archives?” One guard said but she could not tell for the hidden veils coverage their features.

“I am here to locate some books for my brother.” She answered and many of the guards’ attention turned to Vergil who reigned emotionless and passive against their gazes towards him.

“Who are you?” Another guard asked and Vergil’s eyes narrowed at the question. Elena smiled at this, her eyes twinkling in amusement as she gestured with her hand to Vergil.

“This is one of the many faithful servants of the Adesso household, Rotem.” She answered for him and the guards looked at each other before their gazes returned to him. He scowled at this, clearly displeased that they were taking so long on their judgment of him.

“What is with his hair? Has he displeased Sparda?” One guard asked with a hint of animosity towards the half Demon. Elena coyly offered the guards a smile and waved her hand this before stepping closer to them.

“No, he has albinism. Perhaps you know of it.” She told them and they remained stoic on any knowledge on the known disorder, “If not, it is of no matter. Rotem has joined me in finding the books and carrying them back to the manor. Is there any issue with that?”

The guards gaze crossed over to each other but then glanced down towards the beloved sword on Vergil’s waist.

“No, but weapons are forbidden in the Archives.” One guard said and Elena nearly wanted to cuss at them for stating the obvious rule. She glanced at it before offering an innocent smile to the guards and stepped closer to them, nearly in their personal bubble.

“It is not a weapon. He has issues of fatigue and it is a cane in the shape of a sword.” She responded and she hoped they were accepting the story, “It is shaped like so in order to have others not approach us to try and threaten us. I hope you are all alright with this.”

The guards looked at his sword with suspicion before one pulled something from behind him, which happened to be a clipboard.

“May we inspect the cane then record it that you are carrying it?” One asked and she looked to Vergil with eyes that held no concerts if they were to find the truth about his beloved weapon. He offered a small nod and removed the weapon from his waist, offering it for further inspection. One guard approached the weapon and Elena had to guess that he was looking to find any hidden compartments from just visual cues then the guard balanced the weapon in his own hand, remaining silent as he then attempted to pull the bias out.

Dread overcame Elena but her expression remained neutral and the blade made no attempt to come out as if it were a cane. The guard again balanced it out then held it back to Vergil who swiftly grabbed it back and then reattached it to his hip,

“The cane is very well cared for and shall be allowed in the Archives.” The guard that inspected it said and Elena smiled gratefully at this, “It has been logged down if any occurrences happen while you two are there.”

“Thank you for allowing him to bring it in. I am in your favor.” She said and curtsied, curls of her hair falling out from her behind her ear, “Now we will be on our way. May Sparda bless you all.”

Vergil’s expression soured at the mention of his father but his hood hid most of his expression of it. Elena slowly made her way to the entrance and Vergil followed her led, having to duck down once they passed through the doorway.

Then before him stood the Archives in all their glory. Rib-vaults extended throughout the space and seemed to be never-ending as they stretched to all ends of the building. The place was built out of limestone from what he could inquire and plentiful amounts of bookshelves that seemed to stretch up the ceiling. No words were spoken but the sound of shuffling feet and pages turning along with the scribbling of a pen to record something from the books. Many people in red walked around them but some still looked at them strangely.

“Lucky for you, I know where to find the books we need.” She whispered softly, trying not to draw attention them, and her gaze wandered around the building as multiple Guards were stationed at each end of the bookshelf along with the entrance of the building. She made her way down a few more steps as she traveled left, keeping her head low as either to avoid intrigue or why a woman happened to be at the Archives. Vergil glanced through the building, noting that no windows were spotted, making interest that the ones outside were either on a different level or covered up but gave the illusion that the windows could see through the building.

_So there was only one entrance to escape from if things were to go south._

They continued to move past bunches of shelves, earning a turn of heads from the Guards but they remained on their path until the stopped at an alley, looking down it with narrowed eyes until she approached the one guard an innocent smile gracing her features as he stood behind her at a good distance so the Guard would not be concerned at his own appearance.

“Good morning, sir does this shelf contain books about the Savior?” She addressed him and the Guard remained still before he gave a nod of his head. She curtsied at this and kept her head bowed down at this, as Vergil gave a curt nod of his head to show respect to the Guard. She made her way down the aisle and scanned as much as she could and narrowed her eyes, trying to find a section that might be sufficient for what Vergil was looking for. She stopped at one book’s title that caught her attention and her fingers reached towards it, pulling it from the shelf and looked at the elaborate floral designs on the cover.

“Here is one book that we can take.” She whispered softly to him and handled him the book so he could briefly glance at it. His eyes gazed over the title, **Beloved Savior**, and he narrowed his eyes at it, quickly flipping through the pages and saw a few words that popped out in his head that he wanted to look into.

“Are there certain books we can take with us outside of here?” Vergil inquired and Elena glanced back at him, gray eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“Yes, some we can not take with us. Some are held out here while others are hidden away.” She resounded and he opened his mouth to say something but closed once noting the Guard’s attention to them. She continued to move down the aisle and looked over to the other side, noting a book of interest on a shelf taller than herself. She sighed and nudged Vergil with her elbow, who looked at her with annoyance.

“Grab the book titled **Sparda’s Trials **on that shelf.” She suggested and he reached up, easily able to snag it from the shelf. He stared at the cover again and narrowed his eyes, wanting to suggest another title.

“For me to get some of the books you want, it will have to wait. I can’t grab them without suspicion rising from the Guards. I can only grab certain subjects that will eventually make a connection to get the books you want. Start small then grow bigger.” She explained and he scowled at this, clearly not happy about that knowledge, “Your frustration really surrounds you. You need to tone it down or you won’t get anything you want.”

His eyebrows twitched at this observance and she smirked at this before it lowered itself, knowing that they were being watched. She moved further down the aisle known that they could only check out five books per visit and that she wanted something that wouldn’t catch more attention than need be.

“We need to look for some other books like the illustrated versions of what Sparda could perhaps look like.” She suggested and he stopped for a second at the mention of what his father could have looked like.

_He knew exactly what he had looked like._

“Why do you need illustrations of him?” He questioned and she paused her next step, eyes to the ground. Her expression turned sour and she clutched her fists.

“Because I was commissioned to create a piece for the Church to hang up near the entrance.” She snarked out in a mere whisper and he stared at her with impression, not even thinking that the members of the Church would go as far for someone so young.

“You are not looking forward to that?” He asked and she bit her lip as she reached up and grabbed another book, knowing it was dangerous to speak ill of the Church especially in the Archives.

“It will have to be something spectacular and in a way not what I want to do at all.” She answered and she paused as her eyes glanced through the books before they sealed shut for a moment, looking around from her ability. Vergil merely watched her and glanced back at the Guard who seemed to be completely oblivious to the interaction between the two. Her eyes shot open and she gestured with her shoulder for him to follow her, continuing her way to the near end of the aisle.

“I do not want to do this piece but it will keep my family in good regard with the Church.We are not well-liked by many people on Fortuna but because the Church regards us highly, we are mostly welcomed.” She explained and turned left to another aisle but skipped out a few to another one which seemed random but she had looked for the following book on her list and knew where to go down.

“Now, in order for me to get the piece in their ideal perceptive, I need reference material while the books you have do contain illustrations they will not help me enough to create a piece they are willing to have.” She continued and she stepped to the right, following down the aisle where the size of the books grew larger. Vergil remained silent at her response and thought to himself how powerful of a family was her’s on the island.

_They must contain the knowledge of the Temen-ni-gru._

Elena sighed as a headache overcame her and her vision contorted, causing her to lean onto the bookshelf. She sealed her eyes and tried to remove the vision now playing across her eyelids.

Ocean waves washed against each other harshly while a storm seemed to brew above, light casting murky shadows on the water. Everything seemed to be wild and overwhelming as the waves picked up intensity and closer and closer her vision was reaching to an island. The sky bleed to an ugly orange and crimson while the sea turned black.

“Hey, you’re causing the Guards to look at us.” Vergil’s voice hissed at her and she opened her eyes but her vision remained useless, fixed on the sea and black island.

_Why did it return to her again?_

She licked her lips as her vision drew closer to the island, more features now standing apart from it. A castle showcased itself with a cathedral behind it which looked In terrible shape from the broken windows and pieces of it were missing. The landscape was immensely rocky and although trees seemed to be scattered on the island, most looked either dead from the empty branches or burnt to a crisp. Then once she was closer to the island, dread overpowered her at the sight of Demons scattered everywhere, there was no preference on what type they were but plenty of ones she had seen before whether from personal experience of illustrations in books along with some she had never seen before.

“Hey, girl.”

Vergil’s voice caused her vision to end now and she blinked as her vision of the Archives returned to greet her. Vergil stood over her, obscuring her from the Guards, and his glare drilled into her. He remained stoic but clearly not expecting her to suddenly lose concretion and nearly blow their cover.

“What the hell was that?” He hissed at her quietly as he seemed to realize that she had returned to her senses and she blinked at that while her vision of his Human form smeared aware in an instant to showcase his Demon one.

_Uh oh._

She gulped as she slowly pushed herself upend tried to make a guess as to where his eyes happened to be in his Human form but her vision was reluctant to let her see him in his Human form.

“Nothing. We need to continue on and leave soon.” She sneered back and now started to haste towards a book she knew was near. Vergil gripped the books tightly in his hand, which caused indents in them, and followed behind her, noting that she looked both out of breath and paler than what she just was.

_He had no need to be concerned for her personally but she was important in order for him to get the information he so desperately needed._

“You did not say we were in a rush.” Vergil sneered and she stopped to flare back at him, annoyance flushing over her face.

“We are now with all your disturbances and questions. We need to move quickly since I can’t be out for too long.” She replied and he looked ready to snark back at her but she had grabbed a book from off of the lower shelf, opening it up and multiple illustrations were seen. She tucked it under her arm and began walking further down the aisle, near the entrance to the Archives again.

“Come now. Our last book is near the exit.” She stated and he so wanted to lash out on her but they would easily be discovered by the Guards, unable to achieve anything either of them wanting. He clutched his unempty fist tight and his hand went to the hilt of his sword, ready to draw blades but once his hand had approached his beloved katana, a Guard’s attention was drawn to him. Elena glanced back to him and sighed, ready to scowl him out.

_He was acting out more than what the Guards will accept._

She hastily reached for him and grabbed his wrist from his hand reaching for his blade. Her eyes were wide and her face turned pale with worry.

“Don’t.” She whispered as her gray eyes were terrified of the consequences that would happen if they were to be caught. He stared at her in shock that would be so bold to make a move towards his personal space and actually attempt to grab his sword.

“We can’t fight about this. We should just check out these books and leave. There are too many people here.” She suggested in a soft tone and he bites his lip harsh, eyebrows pushing together. She pulled away and stood still, trying her best to not yell at him. He removed his hand from his katana and rubbed the bridge between his eyes, a small headache forming at how everything seemed to be going to shit.

“Fine.” He hissed and snatched the book out of hand, then gestured to the bookshelf, “Find the last book and we can leave.”

Relief flooded over her pictures and her pale face gained back its color while a smile graced her features.

“Wonderful.” She whispered and she skipped past a few aisles, moving down one that had the final book needed. She twisted around to find the book and snagged the one that popped out of the self from the bright red cover, its bold words admittedly striking her attention. She stared at it for a second before her gaze traveled to the end of the shelf, something played at the edge of the shadows but once she blinked it was gone.

_She needed to leave and get out of there. Too much-unexpected things have happened since she appeared._

She stalked back to Vergil who awaited at the corner of the shelf, clearly ready to leave with the books himself. She held the final book out to him and he reluctantly grabbed it before they approached a desk which was near the entrance that a young woman, probably in her twenties, with bright eyes that hide behind her glasses and a smile across her face greeted them. She had on a wimple, hiding her hair and neck, from them and also a red tunic tied together by a white cincture. Her hands were folded across the desk she sat at and she gave a little wave to Elena once they approached the desk.

“Good morning, Elena. How are you?” The woman asked and Elena offered her a smile in exchange.

“I’m doing well, Vesta. Thank you for asking.” Elena responses and the woman looked at Vergil with interest, a glint taking over her eye.

“And who is this? I do not think we had the chance to introduce each other.” Vesta said and reached over to take the books from him, placing them on the elevated part of the desk. Vergil stayed silent before Elan gently nudged him with her elbow, telling to introduce himself.

“…Rotem.” He lied and Vesta raised her eyebrows at this before nodding, glancing between the two before landing back to Vergil.

“You are a servant under Elena’s household then?” She questioned and he nodded while she looked to Elena with intrigue, “Interesting. Have you gotten an assignment from the Church, Elena? You hardly visit the Archives unless it’s something for your brother or a piece to do for the Church.”

Elena nodded as Vesta looked at the title of the books, recording them down on a piece of paper. She flipped through the first book before placing it aside then grabbed the next one. Vergil glared down at her in question at the mention of her brother, now understanding that she had probably run away yesterday once realizing that her own brother was near the area.

“…Have you thought about my brother’s offer?” Vesta whispered quietly and Elena pierced her lips together, nervousness tipping on her features.

“It is not my decision to make, Vesta. My brother will take care of that matter. I am not worried about the matter.” Elena told her and Vesta nodded, pushing her glasses up further on her face as she recorded the final book in the records. She slammed it shut and looked up to Elena in worry as she placed the books back up on the edge.

“That is fine. My brother wanted to know if you had a hand in the say of the matter. I will inform him of your decision.” She said then leaned forward on the desk, “I hope I will have the chance to see the piece you are working on someday.”

At the mention of her work, Elena’s smile turned to a smirk and leaned closer to the desk too.

“Of course. It’ll be a grand one. I hope it will get featured once it’s completed.” She said and Vesta giggled at this, the tension easing up. She started to record the final book before ripping it out of the record, where the yellow under copy was for the church’s Record. She handed it to Elena who thanked her and held it close to herself, knowing it would be needed for leaving the Archives.

“I’m glad. I hope to see you soon, Elena. Take care the both of you.” Vesta said and waved them off as Vergil grabbed the books from off the table, shuffling them under his arm. He offered a polite nod at this and Vesta waved at them while staring at Vergil in interest.

_Something was slightly off about him._

Elena released a breath as they made their way back to the entrance but a Guard stood there, obstructing their view from leaving.

“Please present your paperwork, Miss Adesso.” The Guard said and held his hand out to her, while she offered it to him and smiled in ease.

“Of course.” She said and the Guard seemed to nod in agreement while looking at the books by Vergil’s side. Elena tried not to fidget under the Guard’s attention and the Guard then handed her back the paper.

“You are good to leave, Miss Adesso. Please take care of yourself and return the books by the following week.” The Guard told her and then looked over to Vergil, “Please watch over your Master and next time please leave your cane before you arrive.”

Vergil seemed ready to attack the Guard while Elena curtsied at the Guard, keeping her head low to avoid her gaze from interacting with the other Guards.

“We shall see to it, soldier. Have a pleasant day.” Elena said and the two left the Archives. Once they passed by the following Guards that watched the entrance, they climbed up the staircase and more people had arrived on the streets, not even offering them a glance. Elena turned down a road and stopped, sealing her eyes close to see if they had been followed and took in her surroundings.

_No one had followed them._

She released a breath and pushed her back down, combing through her hair. She opened her eyes back up and turned to Vergil.

“Well, I guess we got the first round of books.” She said and Vergil nodded while annoyance was still on his features.

“Indeed but you need to be more careful.” He said and her expression turned sour, eyebrows growing together at the suggestion.

“What the hell are you talking about? I was fine. You need to watch yourself on your temper. We were nearly screwed from the get-go because of your sword.” She hissed and stubbed herfinger at his chest.

Vergil remained silent on the mention of his sword before sighing and rubbed his eyebrows at this.

“…You did not tell me that the Archives would not question my sword.” He replied and she blinked at this before sighing, knowing that if she had known about his sword being nearly taken away most of their arguing would have been saved.

“True. I am sorry but I had not known about that policy.” She told him and he pulled the books forward, looking her in the eye.

“Was the reason why you had left yesterday was due to your brother?”

She froze and her eyes grew wide, uncertainty powering over her features at this. She bit her lip and frowned, knowing she had should kept the small talk with Vesta on a leash.

“…Yes. He is my caretaker and worries far too much about my safety. I didn’t want him to know about what happened yesterday so that’s why I left in a hurry.” She explained and sighed, knowing that she would never be able to hold anything back. She tapped her foot against the ground and Vergil remained silent, his head cocked to the side before his eyes narrowed, noting someone staring at them.

“Elena.” He said and she blinked out of her thoughts, turning head in the direction of what directed his attention and her stomach dropped.

_It was Rotem, who stared at her in absolute horror and worry._


	6. Day 2 (Part III)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick heads up, this chapter includes another language that I am not very familiar with so I've been using translations from Google so it may not be perfect for these who do understand it. This language will be very important in some parts of the story so please accept the passible Google translated version. Thank you!

"And to his mother brought,  
Who in sorrow pale, thro' the lonely dale  
Her little boy weeping sought." 

-_The Little Boy Found_, Stanza 2, William Blake

* * *

Elena’s eyes grew wide and her face drained of color at the sight of the servant who Vergil played in for. They stared at the two of them, but mainly horror was etched on the features that were showcased the world. Elena reached over to Rotem who had started turning away to go find her brother or other servants of the household to let them know of her appearance with someone she was told to not meet up with at all.

“Shit!” Elena hissed as she had opened her hand, concretion flowing through her, “!**תפסיק**”

Admittedly the servant stopped midway from contenting to move, forced still, and intrigue flowed through Vergil at what she had done. Elena heaved for breath as she stood still herself before closing her eyes, walking towards the servant and grabbed the gloved right hand of the servant. She pulled the servant into the alleyway and then once they were out of the spotlight of other viewers, she rubbed the bridge between her brow.

**_“_****אתה****צריך****להישאר****עד****שאצווה****עליך****לעזוב****_, _****רותם****_.”_** She spoke to the servants whose gray eyes dulled to nothing, only responding with a nod.

“What is wrong?” Vergil questioned her and attention turned back to her, seething in annoyance to she had been found out.

“This is the servant of my household who you impersonated, Vergil. They just caught me with you, which means bad news for the both of us!” She replied and released a breath, her head starting to pound.

_She wasn’t fully informed on how to _ ** _control _ ** _the servants of her household._

“…What do you plan on doing?” Vergil asked and she glanced at him, cloudy gray eyes swirling around.

“I have an idea but I am not sure it will work one hundred percent.” She told him and straightened herself, looking back to Rotem who remained motionless. She clicked her tongue before the command started to form in her head. She stood with her back turned to Vergil and closed her eyes, opening her mouth to uttering the command.

“**רותם****, ****עשויה****מדיונות****הנגב****, ****אני****, ****אלנה****, ****בת****גרשום****, ****מצווה****עליכם****לעולם****לא****לדבר****על****כך****אחרת****או****שתאבדו****את****לשונכם****.**” She spoke and Vergil blinked, only hearing partial sounds of a language that he could not understand.

_Why could he only hear partial words which were not even English or any other language when he could understand nearly every one out there?_

The servant’s dull eyes glowed and Elena felt blood drip down from her nose, knowing she should have been more careful while out with Vergil. She bit her lip and opened her eyes again, looking at the servant with sorrow. The servant remained still and she sighed, glad that the command seemed to be taking place.

“What did you do?” Vergil asked her and she snapped back to him, her eyes stinging and feeling light-headed.

“You have no need to know. I prevented them from reporting anything to the head of the Estate.” She told him and he looked at her with silent confusion, “That’s all you need to know.”

“What is your plan now?” Vergil continued to question and she sighed, knowing that his continued questioning would be troubling. She turned back to the servant, knowing that she had to be foolproof with her tracks especially if she continues her journeying with Vergil.

“**אנא****המתן****לי****בסטודיו****שלי****. ****אני****אמצא****אותך****ואז****אחזור****הביתה****על****פי****ההצהרה****שלי**.” She spoke and more blood dribbling down her nose, using her hand to wipe it away. The servant's body turned rigid and began to walk away, moving towards the apartment in a mechanical and motorized way.

“To read the work we borrowed. There is a restaurant where we can look at these and won’t be spotted. The Guards do not venture near the place I have in mind.” She informed him yet his gaze was locked on Rotem, who was nearly out of view.

_Clearly he would want to know more about what she has done to them._

“Your servant is not Human.” Vergil stated obliviously and she blinked at how bluntly he stated the information. She clicked her tongue and brushed her hair back.

“You are right but I’m not going to inform you of what they _are_.” She explained and he narrowed his eyes at this, expecting more but accepting her explanation for the moment, “Perhaps I will in the future but we have to focus on these books for the moment. Does the restaurant I mention sound like a good place to lay low?”

Vergil released a harsh breath and stared at her, thinking of whether or not to agree or jus take the books himself.

“Yes, let us head over there.” He told her and she looked relieved at this, turning her back to the final view of Rotem.

_She definitely needed to be more careful than she had originally thought._

** _She couldn’t Order the servants without causing more damage to her own body._ **

* * *

Once upon reaching the restaurant, Elena relaxed at the familiar place she had gone to a few times. She had kept the place noted in her head in case she had ever thought of sneaking outand now it came in handy.

“Will this suffice?” She asked and Vergil’s gaze glanced over the exterior to the restaurant, noting the bleak color scheme but it looked like few people even glanced at the restaurant as they had passed by. The name of the restaurant was probably the most eye-drawing characteristic to it: **Denomination.**

“It will do.” He said and she nodded before walking towards the establishment, passing by a few people. Vergil followed in suit and Elena opened the wooden door, walking in to stare at the interior. It was barely filled as a few seats were taken and the look was extremely simple with boorish still life pieces hanging up on the red wooden wall along with booths and even a few tables leaned up against the window. 

“Do you have a preference on where to sit?” Elena asked and he looked back down to her before choosing a booth near the corner of the room. He stalked over to it and Elena continuously glanced at all the patrons within the restaurant, making sure none of them were familiar faces. He pulled out a chair for himself while she momentary glared at him as she pulled her own chair out.

“How courteous of you.” She mumbled under her breath and he glared at her for the comment, clearly displeased. She sat down and stared at the books which he had placed on the table’s edge.

“Now, our course of action has changed.” She stated and reached over to the top book, **Sparda’s Trials**, which she had opened to the first few pages, “I can no longer go out with Rotem in fear of them finding out again about this unique situation.”

“You can not replicate the action you used against them earlier?” Vergil asked and she sighed, looking up from the book.

“Not unless I want to pass out or perhaps fall into a coma.” She stated simply and he pierced his lips together, “The strain from using that technique is dangerous for me. I know how much I can handle and I can do only do it twice a week. Pushing myself will lead to more damage than I can handle and I am not suicidal.”

“How useless.” He spoke and she shrugged at the comment, eyes moving back down to the book.

“Every ability has both its pros and cons.” She said and flipped to the next page, still ignoring his glare.

_She refused to look at him after the argument._

“How will I read these books?” Vergil asked her and she blinked, stopping at an image of Sparda. She tapped her fingernails on the wooden table before frowning at how vague in detail of the small lino print was.

“At the place you are staying at.” She replied snarkily and he looked ready to draw his blade against her throat before she looked up to him with a smirk playing on her lips, “You do not have a place to stay at, do you?”

His hand wrapped around the stealth of his sword and she raised her hands in protest, jokingly.

“Perhaps, we can make another arrangement then?” She suggested coyly and leaned more forward, staring at the deep blue eyes.

“What exactly are you offering?” He questioned and she clasped her hands together.

“You can stay at my studio. That will make our arrangements far easier.” She said and he narrowed his eyes this, knowing she would demand some form of pavement for his stay.

“What do you want in exchange?” He asked and she crossed her legs under the table before leaning more towards him, eyes sparkling as she inched closer to him.

“Please model for this new piece.” She said and he looked at her like she was crazy, his eyes expression was confused and in a loss as what wanted from him. Her lips were smiled in a thin line and tapped her figure against the picture of Sparda.

“I need a model for this upcoming piece and you will work perfectly for it.” She answered and he glanced down at the botched image of his father which was displayed in the book.

“Do you think I know of the Great Knight, Sparda?” He responded and she narrowed her eyes at this.

“No Demons consider Sparda as a Great Knight but traitor Vergil.” She found and he realized his simple mistake of praising of his father had gotten ahold of him, “But I care not for Demon politics yet now I know that whoever your parent is respected the knight.”

_He had nearly blown his entire cover for suggesting he praised his father as something else than a traitor to._

** _She had far more intelligence than what he originally thought of her._ **

“Now, we can focus on more of the details later but would you like to take up this offer?” She offered and uncrossed her legs, pulling her body back. Vergil remained silent for a moment as he thought of his options over.

He could simply snag an unoccupied room from a hotel and make a base there but that would require constant watch over the items he acquired. He could also stay on the street and make base at a spot on the street but that would be far riskier than what he planned for.

_Her own studio would make the most sense and if he had to pose for a silly painting, he could do it for a little bit._

“So, what do you say?”

Her voice broke his concentration and he looked directly at her, noting no hidden agenda ay the suggestion.

“That will suffice for the moment.” He answered and she nodded at this, her smirk had softened into a smile.

“Wonderful.” She muttered as she shut the book shut, pushing it towards him, “Now, we have had an argument on that. We will leave this place separately so I can lead Rotem away and you can settle in the studio without any issues.”

“Good.” Vergil simply stated and she placed her bag on the table, ruffling through it and eventually pulling out a key with a few pieces of paper sticking out from it. She shoved it over to him and placed her bag down by her feet.

“This is the only key I have which is available so do not lose it.” She explained and he stared at the simplicity of the design and the small keychain which had labeled the room number it was connected to.

_He would not explain to her that he could simply teleport over to the studio now that he had known its location._

“Wait at least fifteen minutes after I am gone to head back so no one will spot us so close to each other.” She continued and he nodded at this before she reached down to her bag again, digging through it and presenting some money to him. She gently shoved it to him and she stood up, her shadow hovering his person.

“Here is some money in case you buy something here.” She said and brushed back some of her hair, “I’ll see you sometime soon, Vergil. I’ll come by the studio but I cannot guarantee an exact time or date.”

She offered a small wave at him as she made her way to the exit and her cloak swayed gently from her movement.

_And for a mere moment, Vergil could swear he saw his mother, walking away with her blond hair trailing down her back and red cloak following closely behind her. Her face remained unturned to him and she made no effort to look back at him._

He gripped the Yamato tight as the swift moment disappeared to return the figure to Elena who looked back over her shoulder to glance at him.

“See you later, Vergil.” She said and offered a small smile, the bags under her eyes now prominent of what she had to do to keep the secret. He glanced to the side and narrowed his eyes, staying silent.

“Thank you, Elena.”

He said and she stopped for a second, not turning back to him but a smile split over her lips.

_Her heart skipped a small beat but she did not even notice it as she had already focused on putting together an act to keep her brother from being worried._

* * *

Vergil had left some money on the table after he watched the time go by once Elena had disappeared to return back to her estate. He pulled the hood tight against his face while he carried all the books under his left arm while his beloved sword was tied to his hips. He carefully existed the establishment and began tracking his way back to the studio that she had offered for him to stay.

Many people did stare at him as he passed by but he had grown to ignore people who went to observe him. He gripped the books tighter under his grip and passed by a few children who did glance up at him before their attention turned back to the game they were playing.

It did not take him to long to reach the studio again and he did not spot Elena nor the servant he impersonated. He approached the entrance to the building and pulled the key out that he was given to. He dismissed the stone staircase, which made no echo as he looked at each number he passed by before falling on room 404. He shoved the key into the lock and turned to open it, which clicked. He turned the doorknob and entered, noting that nothing had changed out of place since he arrived earlier. He placed the books down on desk that was against the wall but stopped once he saw illustrations on pieces of paper scattered on the desk.

He simply stared at them and noted the sketches continued drawings of extremely detailed still lives along with one that had a man probably over ten years older than himself with curly onyx hair styled in a quiff with a well-groomed beard but the most unsettling part of the sketch of the man’s eyes which had to completely darken out and bleeding down his face. Vergil frowned at it before he shuffled the papers together and dropped them over to another stack of books and papers.

He sat down in the chair and took the top book off the pile and stared at the cover, which happened to a murky and very contrasting image of his father. He released a breath before he turned the page and began to read the book, hoping he would find the information about the Temen-ni-gru.

* * *

Time had passed by far quicker than he anticipated and he slammed the book shut with both annoyance and disappointment that it provided nothing to help in his search for the tower. He glanced outside to note the day had started to darken and the sun was making its final goodbye for the day. He pushed the chair out and looked at the stack of books remaining the desk and scowled.

_It was going to be far more troublesome to find the information he wanted._

He stared at the rested Yamato that laid against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest and he grabbed the sword. He pulled the blade out of the sheath and took a stance to be ready to open a portal to the Archives before a small warning voice echoed his head.

“_They constantly guard the Archives, so be glad that I am giving you a free pass. The Guards are on constant around and are stationed all around it, even during the middle of the night.” _Elena’s voice reminded him and he bites his lip as he drew the sword back in its sheath.

_Perhaps he could attempt an infiltration once he knew the layout better._

He looked around the studio again and saw a small sleeping bag rolled up next to a pile of blank canvases. He walked over to it then noticed the small folded piece of paper on top of it, picking it up and unfolding it.

_‘Please keep my studio in workable fashion, Vergil. Luckily I have a sleeping bag you can use to sleep on for the time being. Do _ ** _not _ ** _touch any of the work leaning against the wall but feel free to move the empty canvas to create more room for yourself. I plan on coming by in two days to pick up the books and check up on how you’re doing. Good night, Vergil. I will see you soon. -Elena’_

He folded it back up and looked down at the sleeping bag, grabbing it and uncurling it. It spread out and it seemed to be ably accountable for his size. He continued to look at it before feeling the weight of the journey and task on hold taking time on him as he laid down on it. He placed his sword next to himself and stared up at the ceiling.

_It had been some time since he had slept on something other than a cold stone wall._

He closed his eyes and sleep effortless took himself away before he could even think about the situation in hand.

* * *

Elena sighed as she gently placed her pencil on the desk, staring at the rough sketch she completed for the Church’s commissioned piece. She rubbed the bridge of her brow and looked at it with displeasure that she was requested do to it.

_The only reason she had accepted it was to keep her family name in good relations with the Church since they were not exactly tolerated on the island._

_S_he leaned back in her chair and she pulled away from the piece, trying to think of another way to connect with the artwork yet nothing seemed to be pulling up with it. She stood up and walked over to a wall and slide down it, feeling the weight of the past two days catching up on her.

_Her body felt heavy and her eyelids closed upon her as her breath went shallow._

_Suddenly her eyes opened and she looked in front of her to see a charred and collapsed house. She stared at it for a few seconds, observing the broken glass and turned up grass surrounding the place. She could tell that would be considered grand but it was broken beyond repair and she noticed something off in the corner of her eye. She moved to it and noticed a large tree with what appeared to be a gravestone in front of it._

** _What reason was she brought to such an odd place?_ **

_Then from behind the tree came a Demon._

_It stood talk and had partially green like skin shown while its eyes glowed a haunting red. Curved wings were folded against its body while the guarded part folded towards the front of its body while it glowed red and some small parts of yellow. Its hands and feet looked geared while its face was covered by it pointed marks of skin. In its hand was a massive double-edged blade which was notched on both sides near the tip. The grip of it has an interwoven pattern while the guard was a skull design with wiring patterns rolling around it and horns escaping its eye sockets._

** _What was a Demon standing in front of a grave?_ **

_She looked at the Demon with multiple questions but knew she would not get any but something about the Demon felt oddly similar to her. She attempted to move closer but something kept her vision rooted to the spot._

_Then the Demon’s form flickered and revealed itself to her. It had sharp cheekbones and pale skinthat looked like it had never seen the sunlight. Dark blue eyes looked down at the gravestone with misery and its white hair fell down to its nose. It wore long, tan-colored jeans, black fingerless gloves, and military-style boots while a crimson coat enclosed on it and zippersand brown hostlers were adorned on it. It wore no shirt surprisingly and red amulet hung loosely around its neck._

** _The Demon looked eerily like a copy of Vergil besides the contrasting color schemes and his hair fell in front of his face._ **

_The Demon’s gaze turned in her direction and its Human form flickered away before she felt the weight of reality return to her._

She gasped and her head whipped back into the wall, causing a sound and leading to roaring pain. She swore at this and rubbed the spot on her head while she tried to process what exactly she had seen.

_Vergil had far more to tell her than what she originally thought about him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I want to say thank you for all comments about the story and the recent new short story I put up not too long ago. I've been having a lot more spare time because of the virus so I've been working on writing this chapter! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy!


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